Customer Reviews

Great Auk

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A fictional but plausible tale of demise of an endangered species, this book moves its readers to reflect on how humans contribute to the decay of other species which share our planet. It stirs emotions, clearly awakening everyone "green" side in the process. Formerly on many high school recommended reading lists, this book is appropriate for adolescents and adults alike. It is an easy and captivating read. I recommend reading it out loud as a family, sharing the reading duties among all proficient readers while including younger siblings in the process. All will grow from the experience.

I read The Great Auk more than twenty years ago when I was still in high school. I'm very happy to see the book has since been reissued. It's an naturalist adventure seen entirely from the perspective of the last great auk. It should be under Christmas trees all over the country.

The last Great Auk was killed in 1844. Although fictional, the book tells an interesting story about where this species was found, its distribution, and as best as can be reconstructed, some information about its behavior. It's written on the 10th grade level and might not interest some readers, but I recommend it as "somewhat serious" reading about the role of humans in bringing about the extinction. I would recommend it to teachers who want to give their students some fun reading with an ecological theme.